So, a non-Zelda game got me thinking about "Deal-breakers" in games- something that would turn you off to the game so much that you wouldn't get it, or would only get it out of loyalty to the franchise. What got me thinking about this was the Pokemon Gen3 remakes- I refuse to buy them if they don't have secret bases, especially since streetpassing could be like instantly mixing records, filling your game with other trainer's secret bases where you can check out their decorations and battle their pre-set team. I was already irrate that this wasn't included in X/Y.

This got me thinking about "deal-breakers" in Zelda. As of late, Zelda has been getting more and more lackluster, with Link Between Worlds being a flash of hope after the mixed bag that was Skyward Sword and the greatly disappointing DS games. The new Zelda is presumably going to be a $60 game, and even with the Wii U's somewhat barren release schedule, $60 is a lot for a game that might be like Skyward Sword, or worse, Spirit Tracks; It's harder to just assume that Zelda Wii U will be worth the price of admission. There are some things that would just force me to pass up the game. That said, here's my "Zelda Wii U deal-breakers":

1. A companion like Fi. I could take another companion like Navi, or even Ciela, but if the new companion is as horrible as Fi was, I'm not buying the game. There, I said it. Fi is the reason I couldn't play Skyward Sword again. My girlfriend and I tried to play it again but found ourselves quite literally YELLING at Fi to shut up and stop interrupting us trying to play the game, and ended up putting it down and never finishing.

2. Poor Exploration. I don't care if the game is linear or not, but this game needs to have a huge world with things to do and find. I want the freedom that you get from the earlier Zeldas, or at the very least a world around the size of TP's but with more to do. If the game's exploration feels as limited as SS or as limited as PH or ST, I'm not getting this game

3. No positive new contribution(s) to Zelda. This is completely unspecific, but that's because I would accept really anything that is an improvement over previous Zeldas. Maybe they'll find a gamepad-related revolution as big as z-targeting, or maybe something less significant that still is good enough to become a series staple. Maybe it'll have an epic story that will help breath new life into the history of Hyrule- another timeline split? Or even a game about changing the "defeated hero" timeline?. It could be new item or items that contribute to awesome new means of combat or mind-bending puzzles. Hell, even bringing 2D-only 1-off items like the magnet gloves into 3D and doing cool stuff with that. Another idea would be more RPG elements- I'm imagining skill trees like in borderlands where you can customize Link's strengths, weaknesses and skills. (I have ideas for this and could start a whole thread just about those ideas). I want this new game to really stand out and set a new bar of some kind for the series But if the new Zelda is just riding off of past games, like TP rode off of OoT or, hell, like LBW rode off of LttP, then it just won't seem worth getting to me; and likewise, if the game's change is just a one-off gimmick like motion/touch controls or a new method of travel, I won't be getting it either.

Having said all this, yeah, I'll probably get the game no matter what. But at some point, if Nintendo keeps moving away from the exploration and innovation that made the series so revered, and keeps pushing Zelda to cater to the people that bought Wiis and DS's for Wii Sports and Nintendogs; not the people that look to the Zelda series for near-unparalleled quality and fun; then I'm just not going to be able to justify buying their consoles, let alone their games. I bought a Wii U out of faith that Nintendo still has the magic to make epic games; I had no intention of getting one until Link Between Worlds restored some of my faith. But if Zelda Wii U follows the recent trend of dumbing down the series and forsaking the people that gave it it's significance, it'll be a guaranteed deal breaker for the next Zelda game to come out.

TL;DR Don't screw this game up, Nintendo. (Boy, I had a rant in me today.)

If the game doesn't take any of the good ideas from SS (level design and controls among others) I probably won't bother.

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Dungeon design? I can agree with that. But if by controls you mean, Wii motion plus? No, not unless they can do something with the gamepad too. Zelda would be the perfect catalyst for creative gamepad use ideas.

I don't usually operate on a deal breaker basis. I think that you and discussed the pokemon situation, and that scenario makes a lot more sense because when it's a remake you can have very solid expectations. Most would agree that when remaking a game, it's pretty absurd to drop a feature, especially one that was so socially forward thinking for its time.

For Zelda I really don't think I would consider anything a dealbreaker unless reviews came out and the game was just garbage. I have my misgivings with Twilight Princess now, although when it launched I enjoyed it a great deal. I also liked Skyward Sword initially, but I grew tired of it for a variety of reasons. It wasn't really just the controls, or the collection of small details that bugged me (like goddess cubes), it was just this enigmatic feeling of "I'm not having fun anymore".

The reason I shy away from dealbreaker criteria is because it's possible to take a really simple idea that's already been done, and present it in a way that's really really fun. Link Between Worlds (to me and many others, though certainly not everyone) represents this. I would be upset with Nintendo if they rolled out the same old story, and the same old opening game sequence. But! If they manage to encase that in something really enchantingly great, such as a big open world with lots to see and do, or a level of freedom only recently touched upon in LBW, I could forgive the stuff that I'm growing tired of.

So I think that what's a dealbreaker for you, would probably also bother me, but I'd reserve judgement until I managed to play the game a little bit or see some solid gameplay videos and review detailing what was done right, and how that contrasts to what wasn't done so well.

I tried to come up with a 'one exception' dealbreaker, but I'm fairly open-minded before I play something, even if the evidence is strong that it won't satisfy me. I just have been surprised at my own taste before, and my own taste changing.

ALBW gives me hope that Nintendo is going in the right direction with Zelda, and Wii U games like Mario Kart 8 (with overall more effort put into it than past Mario Kart games, even if there's a few slight disappointments) has me convinced that Nintendo is taking both Zelda and Wii U games seriously, therefore a Wii U Zelda has a chance at being as amazing as we hope, as it deserves to be.

If the game does look like it has the same feel as SS (a helper character popping out a lot, environments that kind of look closed off), that will be a big disappointment. However since Zelda is still one of my favorite games and I always manage to get enjoyment out of them (even with games like PH, in the long run), nothing will really be a "deal breaker." I could wind up feeling disappointed as I have with the past four Zelda games (TP, PH, ST, SS), but honestly I'll still want to buy it right away, I'm quite sure.

I don't have any deal breakers with this series. But I think it would be incredibly disappointing to continue having a small number of NPCs unless the story absolutely calls for it. Hyrule feels less like a country and more like a small subburb.

Because of my devotion to the franchise, I don't know if anything could be a deal breaker. Besides, how could anything be worse than PH? And I'd probably play that again if I had to.

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What if it had touch controls like PH, brought back the spirit flute, 13 dungeons, all of them are the water temple. Except the bosses are all Helmasaur King. Fi and Ciela are both companions of yours, and the game has the most amazing game villain ever concieved only to be hijacked by Ganon. And between each dungeon is at least a dozen fetch quests.